We may be heading into winter, but bridal season will come around before we know it, so this is the perfect time to plan ahead during the upcoming winter months for bridal beauty!
Not all of us have a large ‘Glam Squad’ like Kim Kardashian, I can only imagine the team for her upcoming wedding in a few days… But whether you are doing your own makeup, or hiring a professional artist for your big day, there are still a lot of bridal beauty tips that will help you out.
Here are my Top 5 Bridal Beauty Tips!
1. Prep Pre Wedding
It is important to know your skin…
How it reacts when wearing makeup – Is it dry in areas, oily, large pores or even breakout? These are things you can work on before the wedding and then find out the best solutions to combat any skin concerns you may have.
If you don’t wear much makeup, try some on every now and then to see how your skin wears makeup…
Everyone is different and its good to know how makeup sits after a few hours and not just relying on the makeup artist to have a magic wand on the day – the more you know about your skin, the easier it is for the artist to know what products to use on you.
If you haven’t already, I would invest in a super duper skincare routine…
This doesn’t have to break the bank, but sticking to one routine a couple of months before at least can get your skin balanced and in the perfect condition…
Don’t swap and change products to close to the big day as skincare and the cycle of skin turnover needs to time to show best effects.
Go and chat to a skin expert or someone dealing with skin analysis at your fave skincare company to ensure the best products are right for you.
Cosmeceutical skincare ranges are becoming the hot trend in skincare; they are concentrated and have really quick results, as they are serious skincare… Always have a consultation and plan ahead so your skin has had time to get used to any new ranges.
My choice is Ultraceuticals, I love the range and it really gives great results, perfect for someone looking for a new light in skincare.
Ultraceuticals Ultra Brightening Serum (RRP $135)
2. Contouring, Light, Photography
We all have our own makeup look that is our standard, with then adding a few products to dress it up… But for your wedding, there is more to think about than just your Saturday night makeup look, it has to work usually from day to night and under lighting and photography.
Every woman should understand the basics of makeup, which is the use of contouring – highlight and shade…
I am sure we have all seen this before?
Or at least understand where to highlight and shade the face?
If not, this is really the basics of all makeup and it doesn’t just mean painting white and brown line on our face, blending them together and expecting miracles, it is knowing what shade and highlight can do for you, especially when photography is concerned.
Highlight brings an area forward and shade recedes the area back, so everything you choose to apply on the face from eye shadows, liners, lipsticks, blush all have a reason.
Products shouldn’t just be applied because they are pretty, they should all be doing something for your face to bring balance and most importantly lift and shape!
Knowing this can really help you decide what works best for you and your desired makeup look, but also when discussing with a makeup artist to see whether they know the right areas to contour…
Getting the highlight shade balance correct is key for great photography and also working both the daylight then going into the night.
3. Know your style
It is important to know what the overall theme of the wedding will be… Flowers, dress, table settings and venue all play a big part to then seeing what your beauty look will be.
There is no point having a beach wedding, and then applying harsh smokey catwalk eyes, the two don’t match very well and gives off completely different vibes.
We may love a certain look/theme in setting, but maybe not the matching makeup look, so it’s a good idea to think of the balance between everything going on for the day.
I would practice applying different shades from pictures that you like in the media of makeup looks from your fave celebrity…
Modern brides are using less of the traditional ‘Rosy Glow’ products that were all so pink and creating edgier and more structured looks, just like we see on runways and red carpets around the world, but just not those Saturday night club looks – there is a difference!
It is so important to not ‘overdo’ your look, as you want your guests to recognize you at least, but also feel it is you walking down the isle, but with greater elegance!
If your look is very heavy on a daily basis, then that doesn’t mean you have to go natural, but there is a difference between polished and just too much makeup.
In my opinion, gold, bronze, chocolate, cocoa and charcoal all work best on the eyes for photography, skin tones and general modern takes of makeup… Going too light in colour will not give depth and shape and always avoid too much black as it can close the eyes if used incorrectly!
My fave wedding colour paletts take shape from Kate Middleton, Kim Kardashian, Jennifer Lopez and Miranda Kerr…
All neutrals used in different ways from high contour to soft and pretty.
4. The Touch Ups
If you get number 1 right, by now you should know how makeup wears on your skin.
In all my years of experience and the weddings that I have done, it really is all in the prep – miss this out or do not do enough and makeup has no chance of lasting.
Certain textures/styles of makeup just will not suit certain skin types…
Powder should always be kept to a minimum at the beginning of the day and only applied – in areas that only need it like the T-zone – when needed, normally after ceremony, before photos.
Only applying powder in this T zone area keeps the outer areas of the face looking fresh and dewy.
If you have the right eye shadow base and quality products, then shadow will not move for hours and it shouldn’t crease…
I like to use a cream concealer under my shadow, nothing too light and runny, as it will crease or fall into expression lines around the eyes.
Lipstick would be my most important touch up product fir a bride..
It seems to disappear more than usual, it could be the talking, or the fact that it’s all over the groom’s lips!!
Powder kept to a minimum, mainly after ceremony and lipstick for photos and speeches for sure, that really is it.
If you are prone to looking dark under the eyes, a little touch of highlight never goes a stray either…
My fave is the Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat, (RRP $57) and can be used during the makeup application to highlight high points on the face and touch ups under the eyes during the night – always dab and press into the skin!
5. Longwear Hair
How hair trends have changed for bridal…
Just like fashion trends, lived in and more organic hair is a huge trend, rather than perfectly styled curls or the French Roll.
I always feel, will you be comfortable throughout the day?
If you are not into touch ups then I would have it securely up, so then you do not have to worry about it during the day.
It does depend on the feel and vibe of the wedding and more and more are wearing their hair down.
If your dress is quite styled and glam, sometimes a softer hair look can be lovely so the overall look is not too dramatic.
Then if your dress is quite plain and soft, a hair up option can increase elegance… It is a very personal choice!
Think about the features of the dress, it really is the star of the day, so there is no point having your hair down if it hides some beautiful features of the dress.
Always make sure you know the climate where the wedding will be and test out your hair in these conditions.
Your hair may react differently in humidity for example, so check the look a few hours in, especially with hair out as beach waves a big trend, but may drop if wrong products are used.
My main tip here is, Trial Trial Trial…. A trial is ideal for the best longwear look for you and your hair on the day.
Soft, textured and not so styled is actually a great way to keep your look modern, the Hollywood Wave below is one of my fave wedding styles.